In this episode of Sexy Beijing, Su Fei explores the life of the sexiest Chinese American woman ever to grace the silver screen: Anna May Wong (黄柳霜).

Born to a Chinese laundryman's family in 1905 in Los Angeles, she went on to become a Hollywood icon in a career that started in 1919 and went on till the 1960s.

Her career and personal life suffered because of California's anti-miscegenation laws. Despite this, she had a mixed reception in China where many people criticized her for bringing shame upon Chinese people in a way reminiscent of the treatment Zhang Ziyi sometimes gets at home, despite her popularity abroad.

Graham Russel Gao Hodges is the author of a recent book about her called Anna May Wong: From Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend. This episode of Sexy Beijing is an interview by Su Fei with Professor Hodges.